Brothers Winchester, Remington, and Colt know the legends–they were trained from childhood to destroy demon predators, wielding the latest steam-powered gadgetry. It’s a devil of a job. But sometimes your fate chooses you. . . Chasing TroubleWinn Jackson isn’t interested in hunting nightmares across the Wild West–even if it’s the family business. Unlike his rakehell brothers, Winn believes in … brothers, Winn believes in rules. As sheriff of Bodie, California, he only shoots actual law breakers. That’s what he’s doing when he rescues the Contessa Drossenburg, Alexandra Porter, a lady with all the elegance of the Old World–grace, beauty and class. And then he sees her fangs.
Alexandra isn’t just some bloodsucking damsel in distress, though. She’s on a mission to save her people–and she’s dead certain that Winn’s family legacy is the only way. Luckily, aside from grace and class, she also has a stubborn streak a mile wide. So like it or not, Winn is going to come back with her to the mountains of Transylvania, and while he’s at it, change his opinions about vampires, demon-hunting, and who exactly deserves shooting. And if she has her way, he’s going to do his darnedest to save the world. . .
“Meyers puts the steam in steampunk.”–Cherry Adair
more
Started reading this as soon as I finished The Hunter. I loved the world and I needed to read Winn’s story. Another great combination of hunter and darkin. Honestly, I loved Winn. He had the most to be angry about, yet he could see the other side of the story. And Tessa was the perfect foil for him, until she was more. Another great installment of this series, which can be standalones, but I’m glad I read them in order.
After having read and enjoyed my first foray into steampunk with the first book in this series, The Hunter, I had to get my hands on The Slayer when I heard it was up for review. And I wasn’t disappointed in this sophomore effort. Ms Meyers took on a thrill ride across the globe filled with paranormal encounters galore.
While this book is the second in a series, it can stand alone. However, it makes much more sense if you’d read The Hunter first. Because in The Hunter, you get a lot of world building and plot set up. In The Slayer, the reader is thrown right into the action meeting Winn, a Wild West sheriff, as he is trying to foil a stagecoach hold up, and Alexa, a vampire countess on a mission to find Winn. See, there’s the prophecy that Winn and his brothers are “The Chosen” and they’re supposed to stop the demons from opening this gate and basically taking over the world. But Winn has walked away from his destiny and Alexa has been given the task of convincing him to help save the world. Most of this is set up in the previous book (where Winn’s brother is doing his part) and very early in this book (say the first 3 chapters), so I’m not really giving much away here.
I enjoyed the interactions between Winn and Alexa. They’re natural enemies as she’s a vampire and he’s a hunter, trained from birth to hunt the Darkin (demons, vampires, shifters and so forth). They join forces against a mutual enemy, but don’t really trust each other. They’re both constantly looking over their shoulders, all the while fighting this insane attraction to each other. Ms Meyers did a great job of creating the tension while not being too repetitive and still moving the romance and action forward.
The plot was fun and fast paced. The reader is taken from the Wild West to Transylvania and ultimately ending up in Paris. The modes of transportation, mechanical horse and two different kinds of airships, and so many interesting and unique mechanical devices (which make it steampunk) help make this trip quite memorable.
I have to say, I’m very much looking forward to the final book in the series. We got a quick glance at the last brother, Remington, and his foil (who happens to be a shifter). All three stories are taking place simultaneously as they’re racing against a clock. And I’ll be counting down the days until The Chosen is released.
My review originally posted at Romancing the Book.